This week I attended an SoL session led by an international group of seasoned practitioners of the Fifth Discipline (Peter Senge). Practitioners like Antonio Linares, Luca Codeluppi, Sheila Damodaran, and Peter Seah YK were present to share their views, asked questions of one another, and drew in the participants from diverse nationalities and professions, to share their views too.
We discussed what is shared vision, what is not shared vision and is a vision statement the same as a shared vision. Here are 3 points that I found thought provoking:
- A vision typically answers what would I care to create. Fear or negative feelings are not the basis to build a shared vision. Part of the process (of coming up with a shared vision) is to remove such negative feelings. What we care to create needs to come from a place of inspiration. Bring out those emotions.
- It is not a shared vision if the members who came up with it e.g. the staff, are not moved by it. If 3 weeks have passed after you came up with the shared vision, and re-reading the vision still excites you and others, that is a shared vision. Coming up with the shared vision is an emotive experience. If it doesn’t encourage conversations then it is not a shared vision.
- For an organisation, getting the vision statement is important but it is only the start. Unfortunately, many times, getting the vision statement is the end point, leaving no room for the “so what” narratives of that vision.
The 1.5 hours session was really good in giving me a more indepth understanding of shared vision.
Session II, the final session, will be held 18 December (Wed) 7.30pm – 9.30pm Singapore time, virtually. . IAF Singapore in collaboration with SoL has special rates for IAF members. You can still sign up here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1061301945689?aff=oddtdtcreator.